russell



T. N. RUSSELL. LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I. 1914.

1,304,809. I Patented May 27, 1919.

3- SHEETS-SHEET l.

T. N. RUSSELL.

LADDER- I APPLICATIDN FILED JUNE I, l9l4- 1,304,809. Patented May 27, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T. N. RUSSELL.

LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I, 1914 Patented May 27, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

, 5! i} il 1 i 3/ 32 Z I l 14 Q 1 .w 4 r 26 J2 *El 242 fig/7 UNITED STATES PATENT onrron.

THOMAS NATHAN RUSSELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR T0 HARRY VISSERING &

COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LADDER.

Patented May 27, 1919.

Application filed June 1, 1914. Serial No. 842,218.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, THOMAS NATHAN RUssELL, a citizen of the United States, and

a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook,

in the State of Illinois, have invented certain ders, tion.

My present invention relates in general to ladders and more particularly to scaling ladders, and has special reference to improvements in railway car ladders.

The principal objects of my present invention are the provision of a ladder which may be made of a minimum amount and weight of material, and of material which is readily obtainable at a low cost; the provision of a ladder. construction wherein easily available commercial forms of material may be employed with a minimum amount of machining or other manipulation, and wherein the employment of expensive castings and more particularly complex castings is'avoided; the provision of a form of ladder which is readily manufactured in ouantities, the parts of which are substantially identical and which may therefore be shipped knock down in quantities, and thereafter readily assembled for use; the

new and useful Improvements in Ladof which the following is a specificanrovision of an improved form of ladder construction employing stiles provided with openings, and rungs having portions entering and cooperating with said openings, whereby the ladder may be readily assembled, but any breaking out of the rungs from said openings after such assembly prevented; the provision of an improved form ofysupporting brackets for ladders engaging one of the stiles and rungs thereof, whereby the ladder may be fixed to a wall; the rovision of 'an'improved form of brackets fbr ladders engaging one of the ends of the. stiles thereoffor fixing the ladder to a wall or floor, or both, and thereby preventing lateral movement of the ladder;and generally to improve, cheapen andsimplify ladder construction; .together with such other objects as may hereinafter appear. attaining the objects above mentioned and gaining certain further benefits and ad vanta have ere provided a construction, oneembodiment whereof is illustrated in the accompanyi g drawings, wherein rig'uaee 1 is art elevational: view of the end es tov be hereinafter pointed out, I

of a railway box car having a preferred form of my ladder applied thereto; F ig. 2 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the ladder shown in Fig. 1, illustrative of the method of assembling th same; Fig. 3 is an enlarged central longitudinal sectional view of the ladder of Fig. 1 show ing the relations of the ends of the rungs to the stiles and supporting brackets, when the assembly of the ladder is completed;

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a transverse sectional view and an elevational view of such construction; Y

Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views of a form of supportin bracket adapted to engage the ladder sti les and rungs, employed by me for attaching the ladder to the end wall of the car; 7

Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively a planand an elevational view of the form of bracket employed by me for fixing the ends of the ladder stiles; Fig. .8, beingpartly in vertical section, taken alongthelineB-S of Fig. 9; Fig. 10 is a view of a modified form of supporting bracket, and

Figs. 11,' 12 and 13 are respectivelyfront elevational, side elevational, and horizontal sectional views ofa modified form. of structure, the .view of Fig. 13 being taken on the line 13 13 of 12;

Referring first more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawing it will be observed that I have here indicated the end, 10, of a box car to which I have applied side and end ladders wherein I employ substantially parallel stiles,'11 11, between which are interposed rungs, 12-12, which may be of any desired number; The ladders are supported by and attached to the car framing by. means of intermediate brackets, 14- 14, (see Figs. ,6 and 7), eachfof which preferably engages one end of the end ladder is here shown as supported from w the .end, sill, 16,

of the car by means of fixing brackets, 1515, (see Figs. 8 and 9), and the lower end of the side ladder is here shown as sup orted fromth e sideof the car, by a similar. racket 153.,

eferrlng more particularlyto Figs. 2,and'

3 itwill be observed that in the manufacture of ladders embodying my present improve ments I employ as stiles, v1 111, material wherein apertures are formed for. the reception of, the, ends of th e;-rungs,,12;1 ,the most convenient form of material as this purpose being such tubular material as commercial wrought iron pipe, as is clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4:, and 8, such pipe being suitably apertured as indicated at 1717 for the reception of the ends of the rungs, 12.

For the purpose of securing the lungs, 12-12, in position in the stiles, 1111, when they have been passed through. the openings, 17-17, the ends oi? the rungs are turned or bent over to an angle of nearly but not quite 90", this structure permitting, for example, the use org inch pipe for the stiles, rungs formed of commercial inch wrought iron rods an 13- inch openings into thepip'e for the reception of rungs.

hen the rungs, 1212, are introduced into the stiles, 11'11, as indicated in Fig. 2, and then the stiles moved longitudinally relatively to each other t9 bring them into the position indicated in Fig.1, the rungs are held firmly in position parallel to each other, and at right angles to the stiles, the parts assuming the relative position shown in Fig. 3. I V

For supporting the ladder thus formed in this final position, '1 preferably employ a form of intermediate supporting bracket indicated in Figs. 6 and 7, wherein the body, 18, is formed at one end with a flange, 19, apertured at 20, for the passageof a bolt employed for fixing it to the car framing, the opposite 'endf'o f the body being provided with a tubular extension, 2 1,having an opening,'22, which is preferably of the L form shown.

The tubular portion, 21, shown, is ei ployed for encircling the stile, '11, and the opening, 22,"for engaging the rung, 12. By virtue of the L' haped cut out, the form of bracket here shownmay be used either as a right or a left "on either side of the ladder.

For fixing the ends of'the ladder relatively to'the car body, and, where desirable, supporting the same from the end sill, I preferably employv aform of bracket such as illustrated in Figs. Sand 9, wherein a bo'dy'portion,j23, has at one end. a flange, 24', apertured at 25, for attachingit to the end or side wall of the car, and at the other end a boss 29 entering theOpenen'dBOof the stile 11. a'we'b,27, being extended between said body, 23, and flange, 2 1, and apertured intermediate the parts, 23, and 2%, as indicated at, 28, for attachment to the endjs'ilh'the boss 29 serving to restrain the stile 11 from any horizontal movement.

Obviously'tliebracket just described may be inverted for fixing the upper end of the stile against horizontal movement relatively to'the car body, andj'lag screws or bolts may be passed through the op'enings, 25 and 28, or either thereof, as occasionmayjrequire.

The formoflad'der structure illustrated in Figs. 11 to 13 difiers from that of the precedingfigures in the forms of supporting bracket-s employed. The lower end of the ladder is supported in a bracket comprising oppositely disposed body portions 23-23 connected by an intermediate member 27 and "having extensions 242l, respectively apertured at for attachment to one of the sills-of: the body, each of saidportions 23-23 having a tubular portion 26 arranged to receive one of the stiles 11 and slotted for the reception of the lowermost of the rungs 12, ears 404=0 apertured for the passage of cotter pins being provided on said portions 23 for holding the ladder structure in predetermined position. For supporting the upper end of the ladder structure similar devices may be used but as here shown they are not necessarily connected by a bar 27. For attaching the stiles intermediate their ends to the car body tubular members 31 flanged as indicated at 32'and apertured for the reception of bolts 33 may conveniently be employed. 7

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its usewhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is v 1. In a ladder, in combination with'a pair of stiles, and a rung interposed between said stiles and supported thereby, a'supporting bracket for said ladder including a body portion having. at one end a fiange'whereby it may be attached to a'wall and atthe opposite end an apertured tubular extension whereby it may embraceone of said stiles andone of said rungs.

2. In a ladder, in combination with a pair of stiles, and a rung interposed between said stiles and supported thereby, a sup-porting bracket for said ladder including a body portion having at one end a flange whereby it may be attached to a wall and at the op.- posite end a tubular extension having a substantially L formed opening, whereby it may embrace one of said'stiles and one of said rungs.

3. A ladder comprising, in combination, a pair of stiles apertured for the reception of rungs, and rungs connecting said stiles and inserted thereinto, said rungs being provided with ends benttoward opposite sides of. said rungs, whereby therungs may be-engaged with or disengaged from said stiles by dropping one stile relative to the other.

4. A ladder comprising, in combination, a pair of substantially parallel stiles formed of tubular material apertured for the a reception of rungs, and a plurality of rungs connecting said stiles and inserted therein, said rungs being provided with bent ends adapted in their engagedpositionto extend along the bore of the stiles, one end proj ecting upwardly and the other downwardly, whereby the rungs may be engaged with or disengaged from the stiles by a longitudinal movement of one stile relative to the other.

CIT

5. A ladder comprising stiles and a plurality of detachable rungs, each stile having divergent bearing portions and formed with holes in one of its portions, said rungs having hole engaging portions and oppositely bent end portions each inclining away from said hole engaging portions and toward opposite sides of said rungs substantially in a vertical direction to abut the other of the portions of said stiles at points respectively above and below said holes substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. A ladder comprising, in combination,

a pair of stiles apertured for the reception engagement of the rungs and the stiles is prevented.

In testimony V whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of the two subscribing Witnesses.

THOMAS NATHAN RUSSELL.

Witnesses:

PAUL CARPENTER, DONALD C. WILLIAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

